It’s definitely one of the most hotly-anticipated movies of the decade, and much to the delight of fans worldwide Star Wars: Episode IX has now began shooting.
Actually, director J.J. Abrams recently tweeted an image from the first day of the shoot, which is taking place in London’s Pinewood Studios.
In his tweet (via GameSpot), Abrams said that it was “bittersweet” starting this first chapter without Carrie Fisher (who passed away in late 2016) and also expressed gratitude to Star Wars’ creator George Lucas and to fellow director Rian Johnson, who helmed the earlier Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie.
More interestingly, J.J. Abrams also tweeted a first image from the set, in which it is possible to discern actor John Boyega’s reflection, who reprises his role in Episode IX.
And although Carrie Fisher won’t be on the set of this final episode of Disney’s first Star Wars trilogy, we already know that Leia will actually appear in the movie, as Abrams will be using earlier footage shot during The Force Awakens’ filming to include Fisher in the movie.
Bittersweet starting this next chapter without Carrie, but thanks to an extraordinary cast and crew, we are ready to go. Grateful for @rianjohnson and special thanks to George Lucas for creating this incredible world and beginning a story of which we are lucky to be a part. #IX pic.twitter.com/FOfnGwVut5
— JJ Abrams (@jjabrams) 1 August 2018
It is also welcome that the director will be taking some risks with this movie as he said in an earlier interview, not playing it safe as he did with The Force Awakens, which despite being an excellent movie felt like a Star Wars clone at times.
“I feel like we need to approach this with the same excitement that we had when we were kids loving what these movies were and, at the same time, we have to take them places that they haven’t gone, and that’s sort of our responsibility”, the director told BBC Radio 4.
And even if this first image from the shoot is not particularly exciting, it’s a sure thing we’ll soon get more photos and information about what could be the biggest movie of 2019, so stay tuned to this website for more on Star Wars: Episode IX in the weeks and months to come.
Read more: Star Wars: The Last Jedi is one of the most disappointing movies of the year
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm)